Nothing quite beats the taste of a homegrown tomato. Easy to throw into salads, rustle up your own pasta sauce, or place on top of a slice of toast, grabbing a handful of your own crop can instantly elevate any dish.

But if you want your tomatoes ready in time for summer, one TikTok creator has reminded Britons what they need to do to ensure they’re prepared.

In the video posted by @gardeningellen on TikTok, gardeners were urged to start sowing their seeds this month if they want to harvest the crop by July.

While tomatoes are susceptible to frost in colder months, you can sow the plant in a heated propagator or a warm window sill.

If you have space outdoors, you can use a polytunnel to grow them outside, but if you’re using a greenhouse, it’s best to sow them in March when temperatures are slightly milder.

To achieve a healthy harvest, tomato seeds must be kept at a temperature of 18C to 21C. If sowing your seeds on a window sill, the Royal Horticultural Society advises covering your plant pot with a clear plastic bag to maintain a humid environment.

Once seedlings start to poke through the soil (usually within two weeks of being sown), you can uncover your crop and place it in an area with as much light as possible.

How you sow your seeds will also depend on the variety of tomatoes you’re growing.

Cherry tomatoes, such as the tumbling variety, which are ideal for windows, can be grown in smaller pots or hanging baskets, but larger types, known as cordon tomatoes, are better off in the ground or growing bags.

Keep in mind that if you are growing a cordon variety, it will need to be tied to a stick for support as it grows later on.

Tomato seeds are widely available from most garden centres and online. It costs just £1.59 for baby boomers on Simply Seed and £1.49 for cherry tomatoes on Sutton, so you can choose which variety you prefer.

If you are sowing more than one variety, however, labelling your trays will help you distinguish them when repotting.

Gardeners can sow more than just tomatoes this month. In the video posted by @gardeningellen, the creator also informed users that February is a good month to plant basil, parsnips, pansies, dahlias, cosmos, a winter salad mix, and radishes.

Steps to sowing your tomato seeds

Fill seed trays with compost, leaving a couple of centimetres free below the pot’s rim. Scatter seeds evenly and cover with vermiculture, watering the crop well. Cover the compost with a plastic bag or clingfilm to keep it moist.

When seedlings appear, remove the cover from the pot. This should happen within 7 to 10 days after sowing. If you are growing your plant on a windowsill, turn the pot regularly to prevent it from growing towards the light and becoming wonky.

Once the tomato seedlings are 10cm tall, plant them into individual pots. As temperatures increase in late May and early June, you can bring your crops outside and plant them in their final spot.

Your tomato plant should be watered regularly during this process, as plants in containers have a tendency to dry out quickly. Also, ensure they’re fertilised every 10 to 14 days.